Device for displaying sample locks of dyed hair

ABSTRACT

Device for displaying sample locks of dyed hair comprises a base carrying a horizontal ridge, and a plurality of lock supports hooked onto the ridge, each lock support being made of two strips defining therebetween a plurality of narrow-necked recesses in which the bases of the locks of hair are secured.

United States Patent Netter 5] Nov. 14, 1972 [54] DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING SANIPLE 1,702,312 2/1929 Pickering ..206/83 LOCKS OF DYED HAIR v 1,801,751 4/1931 Mills ..206/80 R 2,058,963 10/ 1936 Drummond ..40/19.5 [72] Invent 2;; n Seme 2,276,701 3/1942 Pusey ..206/83 2,681,262 6/1954 Vincent ..35/59 UX [73] Assignee: LOreal, Paris, France 3,000,113 9/1961 Olson ..35/28.3 3,100,944 8/1963 Lieberman ..35/49 [22] 1970 3,378,925 4/1968 Faller ..32/71 [21] Appl. No.: 91,936 I 3,609,886 10/1971 Vien ..35/59 30 F A h Da FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS ti m v 1 pp ca 224,284 11/1962 Austria ..35/59 Dec. 1, 1969 France ..6941327 Primary Examiner-Harland S. Skogquist [52] US. Cl. ..35/59, 248/224, 206/82 AnorneyHolcombe, Wetherill and Brisebois [51] Int. Cl ..G09f 5/02 [58] Field of Search ..35/28.3, 28.5, 55, 59, 49; [57] ABSTRACT 32/71; 206/80 Device for displaying sample locks of dyed hair comprises a base carrying a horizontal ridge, and a plurality of lock supports hooked onto the ridge, each lock [56] Reierences cued support being made of two strips defining UNITED ST ENTS therebetween a plurality of narrow-necked recesses in which the bases of the locks of hair are secured. 565,525 8/1896 Tucker ..248/224 X 1,097,755 5/1914 Goldsmith ..248/224 X 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING SAMPLE locus or DYEDVHAIR SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the well known difficulties encountered in manufacturing conventional devices for displaying locks of hair results from the need for effectively exhibiting these locks to the clientele which is to use them. Such display devices enable a customer selecting a hair dye from a certain commercial line of hair dyes to see on the lock the shade which will be obtained by using a particular dyeing product in this line.

The display devices heretofore used have comprised, in general, printed sheets which are connected together and to which the locks of dyed hair are attached. These sheets contain an identification of the dyeing product corresponding to each of the locks. Since these locks must be effectively presented, it is necessary to print in several colors in order to obtain an effect which is attractive to the customer. These printings are very troublesome, especially when the display devices are manufactured on a small scale. However, the necessity of making display devices intended for use in different countries using different languages makes it practically impossible to manufacture them on a large scale even for use in connection with the distribution of the same commercial line.

Moreover, the attachment of the locks to the sheets of a sample holder is a delicate operation requiring a specialized skill which leads to substantial delays in manufacture and relatively high cost. Finally, the display devices in the form of small printed articles are commonly placed by professional users, such as hairdressers, in drawers which prevent the customers from having a direct view of the lock in question, so that the sample holder does not fully serve its purpose in attracting the customers.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device for displaying to the customers locks of hair which have been dyed with the various products in a given commercial line of hair dyes.

This display device does not consist of printed sheets carrying the locks of hair and is necessarily, because of its size, left in sight of the customers.

It follows that the display device according to the invention may fully serve its purpose of attracting customers and that its manufacture may be carried out on a large scale, since the same display device may be used in different countries simply by changing the labels positioned at the right of each lock in order to identify the corresponding hair dye.

Another object of the invention is to avoid the necessity for specialized skill in attaching the locks to printed sheets.

In particular, the present invention is directed to the new article of manufacture which consists of a display device designed to exhibit dyed locks of hair or fibers to the customers. This device is essentially characterized by the fact that it comprises a base to which removable lock holders carrying at least one dyed lock are attached. Indicia are positioned at the right of each lock on each holder to indicate the particular hair dye product adapted to produce the color of that particular lock. The base is preferably provided with a cover, which may be transparent, and covers the various lock holders.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the holders for the locks are elongated members positioned side by side on the base of the display device. These holders are hooked to the base, from which they may be separated, but connected to that base by means of a connector, such as a chain, in order to prevent them from being taken away. The holders are supported by the base at a point spaced from the locks. The holders may be straight or curved.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each holder consists of two identical strips positioned opposite each other, and the surface separating the two strips is substantially the median surface of the lock holder. When the lock holders are straight, the two strips are connected along the median plane thereof. The two strips are attached to each other by projections carried by one of them, which projections cooperate with seats in the other.

Recesses are provided in the surfaces of the two strips which face each other, which recesses form seats for one end of each lock to be attached to the holder. These recesses have a substantially trapezoidal shape, that is to say they are dovetailed, and the locks are provided, at the end adapted to be attached to the holder, with a ring having a size such that this ring may be introduced into the dovetailed seats when the two strips are not fastened together, but the ring cannot pass out of the recesses after the two strips making up the holder have been attached to each other. The base has a ridge of trapezoidal section and the lock holders have mating trapezoidal notches, the holders being positioned on the ridge by introducing the upper part of the ridge into the trapezoidal notches in the holders. The cover associated with the base is transparent in order to permit the colors of the locks and the group of the holders to be seen even when it is in closed position on the base to protect the locks from dust or accidental damage. This cover is pivotally attached to the base in order to permit the lock holders carried by the base to be taken in hand.

In order that the invention may be better understood, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described, purely by way of illustration and example, with reference to the accompanying drawings on which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a display device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the two strips constituting a holder according to the invention, such as one of those shown in FIG. 1, these two strips being separated one from the other;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2, showing the two strips of the holder attached together; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2 of the two strips of the holder fastened together.

Referring now to the drawings it will be seen that the display device 1 comprises a base 2 adapted to be positioned on a horizontal surface, such as a table, for example. This base carries a horizontal ridge 3, having a substantially trapezoidal section. The base 2 is substantially rectangular. A transparent cover 4 is pivotally attached thereto by the pivot pins 5. The base 2 and cover 4 are made of a molded plastic material.

Eight identical lock holders 6 are positioned side by side parallel to each other and perpendicular to the median plane of the ridge 3, over which they are hooked. Each of these holders carries four dyed locks of hair 7. The colors of the locks of hair are obtained with dyeing products which are identified on labels 8 stuck to one of the lateral surfaces of the holders 6. These labels are positioned at the right of each lock carried by a holder 6 and make it possible to relate the color of a lock to a predetermined dyeing product in a commercial dye line.

Each holder 6 has a substantially trapezoidal notch 9 with the notches 9 mating with the upper part of the trapezoidal projection so that the holder 6 may rest on the upper part of the projection 3 and thus 'be retained in place. The notch 9 divides each holder into two parts, one of which (6a) carries the different locks 7 and the other of which (6b) does not carry any lock, but serves as a handle for use in picking up the strip 6.

Each holder 6 consists of two strips 10 and 1 l, which are connected to each other along the longitudinal median plane of the holder 6. The strip 10 comprises, on the face toward the strip 11, recesses 12 having a dovetailed shape. The strip 11 has recesses 13 identical to and opposite the recesses 12. Between the recesses 12 are positioned pins 14 which project toward the surface of the strip 10 which faces thestrip 11. A pin 14a is also positioned in the part 6a of the strip 10. Opposite the pins 14 and 140 are seats 15 and 15a in the part 11. The pins 14 and 14a and seats 15, 15a have a shape permitting the pins to be resiliently seated inside the seats 15 and 15a respectively, and gripped in these seats after they have been inserted therein, i.e. the pins snap into the seats. One end of each lock 7 is positioned inside a recess 12, this end being gripped in a ring 16. The other end of the lock 7 is left free so as to permit it to expand into a substantially conical shape. The ring 16 is of a size such that it may be inserted inside the recesses 12, but is larger than the narrower part of these dovetailed recesses. When the locks 7 are thus positioned inside the recesses 12 in the strip 10, the strip 11 is positioned opposite the strip 10 and the pins 14 are snapped into the seats 15. This snap-fit securely fastens the two strips 10 and 11 together and retains the ring 16 and the corresponding end of the locks 7 in the recesses 12 and 13.

' It will be seen that this display device makes it possible to easily change the locks displayed and supported by the holders, either by interchanging the holders in a given display device or by opening up the holders by separating the two strips 10 and 11 and replacing the locks 7 which are supported thereby.

It will be appreciated that the same display device and the same holders may be used regardless of the colors of the locks which are to be exhibited to the clientele. The same display device may also be used in different countries by simply replacing the labels 8 which carry the indications as to the products corresponding to the color of the locks to the right of which said labels are positioned.

This replacement makes it possible to vary the language in which the descriptions are printed. Thus, for a given commercial line, it is possible to utilize the same display device, regardless of the country in which it is to be used. This is desirable in order to reduce the cost of production. Moreover, such a display device necesmaking off with the holders 6 after removing them from the base 1 for which they are designed.

What is claimed is:

1. Device for displaying dyed locks of hair or fibers which comprises a base carrying an upwardly projecting ridge, and a plurality of elongated lock holders separably mounted on said ridge, each lock holder having a notch in one end mating with the upper part of the cross-section of said ridge and thereby retaining each holder in a fixed position over said base when said notch is fitted onto said ridge, and each lock holder comprising two parallel strips having facing surfaces, at least one of said strips having a plurality of recesses in the surface thereof facing the other strip, each of said recesses being closed by said other strip except for an opening in an edge transverse to said fixing surfaces, the openings in said edge being smaller in section than the remainder of said recesses, and said locks having base portions incapable of passing through said openings seated in said recesses and necks smaller than said openings projecting through said openings.

2. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which said holders are attached to said base by elongated flexible connecting means.

3. Device as claimed in claim 1 comprising a transparent cover.

4. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which the strips forming each lock holder are fastened together by means of pins 14 on one of the strips forming said lock holder which snap into seats in the other of the strips forming said lock holder.

5. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which said enlarged base portion of said lock comprises a ring encircling said lock which is too large to pass through said opening.

6. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which said ridge is trapezoidal in section. 

1. Device for displaying dyed locks of hair or fibers which compriseS a base carrying an upwardly projecting ridge, and a plurality of elongated lock holders separably mounted on said ridge, each lock holder having a notch in one end mating with the upper part of the cross-section of said ridge and thereby retaining each holder in a fixed position over said base when said notch is fitted onto said ridge, and each lock holder comprising two parallel strips having facing surfaces, at least one of said strips having a plurality of recesses in the surface thereof facing the other strip, each of said recesses being closed by said other strip except for an opening in an edge transverse to said fixing surfaces, the openings in said edge being smaller in section than the remainder of said recesses, and said locks having base portions incapable of passing through said openings seated in said recesses and necks smaller than said openings projecting through said openings.
 2. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which said holders are attached to said base by elongated flexible connecting means.
 3. Device as claimed in claim 1 comprising a transparent cover.
 4. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which the strips forming each lock holder are fastened together by means of pins 14 on one of the strips forming said lock holder which snap into seats in the other of the strips forming said lock holder.
 5. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which said enlarged base portion of said lock comprises a ring encircling said lock which is too large to pass through said opening.
 6. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which said ridge is trapezoidal in section. 